


Home, but Alone

by Maroonedpunk



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, It's fine because I just used artistic freedom lmao, Minor Character Deaths, Self-Discovery, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Set after Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Yes I know Endgame hasn't come out yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 12:39:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18282548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maroonedpunk/pseuds/Maroonedpunk
Summary: Gwen Stacy had always observed the world in the shadows, but when the world ended, she was forced to take matters into her own hands. Following her return to heroism, she once again bumps into Peter Parker--and sparks fly.





	Home, but Alone

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for this fandom and this pairing so I hope you enjoy! I am planning on working on this some more and finishing it so if you like it, please let me know. :-)

I remember when the world ended.

We were all used to aliens at this point. We were used to people with superpowers, to people who came down from space and could stop rockets with their bare hands. What we weren’t used to was our loved ones turning to dust, slipping through our fingers. The good guys lost and there was nothing we could do about it. I lost my mother, my sister, my best friend. We were grieving, confused, and angry. No one could answer our questions, not even the Gods who lived among men. They had lost people too.

However, this isn’t where the story starts. It starts my freshman year when I met Peter Parker.

He was a small kid who often got bullied, but it never seemed to bother him. He went through school with his head high, participating in after-school activities, winning debate tournaments, and excelling in his classes. Peter’s self-confidence only increased his sophomore year. He could hardly wait for the final bell to ring so he could take off without another word. I always admired him and wanted to be his friend, but we were acquaintances at best. We smiled in passing, occasionally worked on projects together, sat next to each other at sporting events; I had been over to his apartment a total of two times and as it turned out, he lived on the floor above me. I would have loved to walk with him to school, but Peter was always gone no matter how early I woke up to try and catch him. And so I walked with my earphones in and my hands in my pockets.

To say I had a crush on Peter Parker was an understatement. I admired him greatly, always in a trance every time he answered a question in class or I walked behind him in the hallways. Looking back, I wish I hadn’t been so scared to talk to him. There were a lot of things I regretted as time went on.

During homecoming, I watched him run out of the front doors of the school. Worried, I followed him to a nearby alleyway where I discovered something that made me like him even more: He was Spider-Man.

I never told Peter that I knew that about him. Not even when Spider-Man was made an official member of The Avengers. A lot had happened leading up to that point, though. Most of it I’m sure you’re familiar with, so I’ll give you a quick recap.

Aliens once again invaded New York. We were told to stay inside while The Avengers took care of things. From inside my bedroom, I watched a spaceship in the sky settle down in the streets and destroy buildings. Chaos ensued, and by the end of the day, half the world’s population was gone. You already knew how that went.

In the time between the end of the world and the return of humanity, I began to visit May, Peter’s Aunt, almost daily. School was canceled for a good month because of confusion and grief. We knew it would return, but until then, the world stood still.

Peter was missing, which could only mean one thing: he had been one of the unfortunate ones. Despite my occasional visit previous to the reckoning, May remembered my name, knew I was a downstairs neighbor, and welcomed me with open arms. After all, we had both lost people, and we both knew nothing. That was something we could bond over.

Then, something incredible happened. One morning when I woke up, I discovered that the hair on my arms rose at the first sign of danger and I could stick to walls and ceilings. In a weird twist of fate, I ended up with the same powers as Peter, and it was then that I knew what I had to do. 

I had to carry on his legacy.

The first person I told was May. It was risky, as I didn’t know whether she knew about her nephew or not, but it ultimately was the right choice. She knew about all of Peter’s secret places to stash his web fluid and where he kept his suit. To be fair, what remained wasn’t anything spectacular. He had been on the job during the reckoning so his original suit was nowhere to be found. After some modifications, it worked. My identity could be hidden, trusted with the one person who knew the hero best, and New York could be safe once again. 

Starting off wasn’t easy. I got knocked down a lot and ran into issues with the cops. My fear of heights didn’t help either and it took a lot for me to just get over that. I wanted to do this, though. I needed to, not only for New York, but for Peter. May understood. She never left my side, always tending to my wounds and helping me with my doubts. With great power came great responsibility, and although cliche, I knew the universe needed me because I needed it just as badly.

At the start of my senior year, I got contacted by The Avengers. At this point, almost a whole year had passed since half the world turned to dust. After school, I walked home to find a car waiting outside my apartment complex. A man in a black suit stepped out from the driver’s side and asked,

“Are you Gwen Stacy?”

I nodded as I peeled my headphones from my ears and shoved them in my pocket. “Who’s asking?”

“Mr. Rogers has requested your arrival at the Avengers base in upstate New York. Are you available to go for a ride?”

With a quick glance upward, I agreed to go with him. The ride took about an hour and when we arrived, I was escorted inside where I sat across from none other than  _ the _ Captain America.

He looked rough, sporting a full beard and a head full of greasy, raggedy hair. Mr. Rogers still offered me a smile as I sat down.

“A little birdie told me you’ve been acting as the new Spider-Man this past year.”

I shrugged. “Could be.”

“Why not change it to something more fitting?”

That got me to raise an eyebrow. I knew I was capable, so if that’s what he was suggesting, I was prepared for a fight. “Because people don’t need change right now. They need stability, someone they can count on. And people treat me a lot better when they think I’m a guy.”

“Fair enough.” He shifted back in his seat and sighed. “I’ve been so caught up in my own grief that I haven’t even stopped to think about how the rest of the world felt.”

“We all lost people.”

“You’re right. And we’re going to get them back.” Mr. Rogers leaned forward on his elbows, a stern look crossing his weathered face. “Keep doing what you’re doing, okay? You’re giving people hope who no longer have any.”

“Do you know what caused this?”

He bit his lip. “I do. We put up one helluva fight, but it wasn’t enough in the end. It wasn’t enough.” A pause. “I don’t want you to get involved in the big stuff. You were an innocent bystander who got wrapped into this.”

“Peter was my friend,” I clarified, “I was not an innocent bystander.”

“But we’ve been building up this fight for a long time now. It is our fight to finish, not yours.” Mr. Rogers ran a hand through his hair. “Stark is missing and suspected to be dead. Half our team is dead. Most of us feel hopeless and defeated, yet we keep pushing.”

“There’s someone new, according to tabloids.”

That got him to chuckle. “Carol, yeah. She’s gonna help us. I promise we’re going to fix this. It’s all about bringing the fight to us.”

“The person who caused this. You want them here?”

“We got the advantage. We know this planet well. We have friends in all the right places. I just wanted to make sure you knew we were in your corner.”

“Thank you, Mr. Rogers. It’s an honor to meet you.”

He laughed again, standing up to shake my hand. “Please, it’s Steve. I’d love to keep in contact with you just in case. Only if you’re willing of course.”

“Absolutely.”

“Fantastic.” Steve cleared his throat. “Would you like to meet the others?”

“I’d be just as honored.”

Steve led me upstairs. Just like him, everyone looked rough. I recognized the originals: Thor, Bruce Banner, Black Widow, Hawkeye. Then came the others that I had only heard about. Ant-Man, aka Scott Lang. One of Thor’s friends, Valkyrie. A raccoon named Rocket and a half robot, half being named Nebula. Mr. Stark’s girlfriend, Pepper Potts, and his right-hand man, Happy. 

And Carol Davers, aka Captain Marvel.

There were others too, of course, stationed in other places. All were working to save our people. I was impressed by the sheer amount of talent in the room. Growing up, you knew about The Avengers, but no one ever saw them. During the Battle of New York, my family had been evacuated to Boston. You saw news clips, interviews, but never in person.

Here I was, being made an honorary member.

I trusted that group of people to get the job done. They planned on using the villain's own weapon against him and turning back the clocks. Although I didn’t understand what that meant or entailed, I was thankful they let me in.

This fight was deadlier than the Battle of New York. I learned the name of the perpetrator who caused the deaths of half of the whole universe: Thanos. He thought he was doing us a service.

He was wrong.

Time, in fact, did turn back when we won. Broken buildings restored themselves and people who had once been dust grew into flesh and bone. The world no longer needed to worry about their fate, because the past year and a half never happened. The only people who knew about it were The Avengers and me.

It, however, did not come without consequences. Steve Rogers sacrificed his own life to restore order to the world and Tony Stark, severely injured, passed away in the hospital with his loved ones at his side.

I always had been good at keeping secrets, but this was the hardest one. A total of fourteen people would remember the time the good guys lost and it would follow us forever. Sure, we got to hug our loved ones again and tell them how much we truly cared for them, but we couldn’t tell them that they had been dead for over a year. May didn’t remember working with me to keep the city of New York alive. No one remembered me as Spider-Man. Peter returned, and I sunk back into the shadows.

Of course, the remaining Avengers kept tabs on me. Banner told me they always had a spot for me, but one Spider-Person was enough. Besides, I didn’t want Peter to know I was like him quite yet. That would open a new can of worms I didn’t want to jump into.

Bucky Barnes took over Steve’s place while James Rhodes made the switch from War Machine to Iron Man. The world grieved over the loss of our heroes, as did I.

It hit Peter hard as well. After all, Stark was the father Peter never got to have. Not only did he lose his uncle, but he lost his father, his friend.

I waited a while before I spoke to him. He still went to school with me, but something about Pete had changed. He wasn’t as confident as he had been before Tony’s death. Spider-Man continued web-slinging through the streets of New York, but without Tony’s praise and advice, I could tell he was lost. The other Avengers seemed just as distracted at the loss of their own. I understood. Death was hard, especially when you knew it wasn’t in vain.

Eventually, people move on. I was repeating my junior year without anyone else knowing, which gave me an advantage. I kept tabs with Banner, only because he and I had developed a friendly relationship over the months. It was warm, albeit strange, but warm. 

The extra-terrestrials returned to their planets, while Captain Marvel took off back into space to protect the universe. We returned to our own devices.

To be fair, I still watched Peter from afar. You think doing the whole Spider-Man thing would have given me some sense of self-confidence, but I was just as scared to talk to him as I had been freshman year of high school. And so, life returned to normal. We smiled in passing, talked occasionally at lunch and other events, worked on homework together in the library. Slowly but surely, Peter returned to his chipper self.

We graduated, shipped off to college, went our separate ways. It wasn’t too far, considering I went to NYU, but it did mean that I didn’t see Peter every day anymore. Sure, I saw him around Manhattan or Brooklyn or even Long Island sometimes, but it wasn’t the same. That’s when I began to regret everything. Keeping my secrets to myself was hard. Having powers that I couldn’t use in the same way the others could began to make me lose my mind.

So, that about catches us up to speed. I’m twenty-one, a junior in college, finally ready to get that damn suit from Banner. It’s time for me to have some fun, too.

Happy picks me up, since living in New York usually meant walking everywhere. I thank him, to which he mutters a welcome. Even though he may not look like it, I knew Happy liked me. He had always told me that I was a lot more tolerable than Peter. I took that as a compliment.

Keeping to myself has always been easy, so I put in my headphones and scroll through Twitter. Most of the main stories are about how The Avengers saved the world this time. As ridiculous as that stuff was, it always pulled me in with the wild titles and stupid taglines. When it was phrased like “Thor saved  _ who now?” _ How could you not read it?

I’ve been here enough times that I know exactly where I’m going as I one again give Happy another thanks and head upstairs toward Banner’s lab. I smile politely at the others in passing, who, by this point, have forgotten who I am or wonder what I’m doing here. As long as Peter doesn’t know, I’m fine.

Banner, sporting a pair of thick, black frames, squints at a piece of technology I can’t even describe. It appears as though he’s working on some kind of prototype but I’ve learned not to ask questions.

“Hello,” He says without looking up, twisting some wires around with a pair of tweezers. “Happy said he was getting you.”

“I’ve decided to take you up on that offer.”

That catches his attention. He looks up at me. “Returning to hero life?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You know Parker is going to be suspicious when he finds another Spider-Person scurrying around the west end.”

I snort. “I’m well aware. I just think enough time has passed to allow us to work together. He probably doesn’t even remember who I am anymore. It’s been three years since we graduated high school.”

“You’re both valuable assets, so I don’t care how things get worked out. Hell, maybe you can split the city and cover more ground. Whatever you decide, I trust.” Banner had become somewhat of the leader following Tony’s death. I had to admit: he was very good at it.

“Wow. That’s really nice of you to say.”

“You’ve both matured into outstanding adults. Besides, you know a lot more than he does.” Banner returns his vision to the prototype in his hands. “You know where we keep the suits. Tony had a bunch of spider types in production that I fixed up, so whatever fits best, I guess.”

“Thank you.” I smile big, throwing a quick “love you” over my shoulder as I leave the lab. He rolls his eyes, but I see that smile on his face. I could get past that shell one day.

Downstairs, I pass Wanda and Vision making something in the kitchen. They smile politely at me too before returning to their conversation as I round the corner. Four doors down, I turn again, until I reach a keypad. Banner had made sure that code was ingrained into my mind the second the offer was made. The room itself held different suit prototypes for many of the heroes a part of the team, but I was only concerned with the back corner. I wonder if Peter ever came down here. He had been sporting the original red and blue suit since his return.

There’s a black and red one, one made of iron quite like Iron Man’s armor, a few that would be questionable fashion choices. Ultimately, I’m drawn to a black and white one with pink accents. It looks like it has lightning on the sides, which I like a lot. Plus, it has built-in web shooters. That will make it a lot easier.

I strip out of my clothes quickly and slide on the suit, loving the way it feels against my skin. It’s like returning to a sport I’ve been sitting out from. There’s an energy inside of me that can’t wait to try out my new toys.

The suit compresses to fit my small frame, allowing me to admire the way it accentuates my curves in the mirror. It fits nicely and feels great too.

Of course, it’s not complete without the mask. I feel emotional about this whole ordeal even though I refuse to show it.  Getting back into the Spider-Man act would take some time before I was fully used to it.

The jiggle of the doorknob sends me into full panic mode, flying to the back of the room to protect myself from danger even though it’s most likely just one of the other people who live here. It doesn’t stop me from freaking out though.

Plus, it’s Peter, because of  _ course _ it is, which doesn’t make my anxiety go away.

“Oh shit, sorry. Didn’t realize anyone was in here.” He blinks a couple of times. Damn, had time been kind to him. He looked even more attractive than he had in high school. He was tanner, first off, and his hair seemed darker too. I was still frozen to the back of the wall.

“Have we met?”

I nod. He bites his lip.

“I didn’t know any of the girls here played dress up in the Spider-suits in their free time.” A smirk rises to his face and I so desperately wished I could kiss it off of him. “Wanda, is that you?”

He must have come a different way and didn’t see her in the kitchen. I nod again because I’m a nervous idiot who is only digging herself a bigger grave. Pete laughs.

“I have to admit, it looks good. And I promise I won’t tell anyone about this.” He winks. “I was actually coming in here to do the same thing. As much as I like to try them on, I never can commit to a change. My suit is just... it’s mine, y’know? Tony gave it to me. I feel like changing it would be unjust.”

_ Understandable, _ I think to myself. Peter sighs and rolls his shoulders. 

“Anyway, sorry to get all gushy on you. Oh, have you heard back from Lang yet? We were talking about his daughter and he suggested it would be cool if I flew out to San Fran to show his daughter the ways of the spider.” The way he puffs his chest out is so ridiculous that I can’t keep my laugh in. That right there is what should give it away, and I can see the hesitancy strewn across his features, yet he says nothing.

I gather up my stuff quickly and shove it into my backpack, deciding that leaving in the suit might not be the worst idea at this point. Hopefully Happy is okay with driving me back sooner than I expected.

Peter tries to get me to stop, reaching out for my arm. I look at him through the mask, refusing to lift it. He can’t know. Not yet. It’s not time.

“You aren’t Wanda, are you?”

A couple of hour-long seconds pass before I shake my head. He begins to chew on his lip. So desperately do I wish I could just disappear from all this embarrassment.

When I make it to the door, I swing my backpack over my shoulder and turn to look at him one last time.

“You know me, Pete. Think about it.”

And with that, I’m gone.

/\0/\

He thinks about it.

Peter finds me only a few days later into the early hours of the morning. I’ve spent most of the night practicing my web-slinging and honestly trying to remember how I used to be so agile about it. It doesn’t take long to catch on, but my arms ache.

“Found you,” he says the second I land on the roof of my apartment, only half a mile from campus. Peter steps out of the shadows, sporting the usual Spider-Man uniform. It’s weird for me to be here looking at him when I’m in a suit of my own.

“I’m impressed,” I respond dryly, smirking underneath my mask. I step closer and begin to circle him. “It didn’t take as long as I expected.”

“I asked Mr. Banner about you. He told me I needed to find you myself. So obviously the others know about you and are keeping me out of the loop.”

“It’s not their fault. It was kept secret to protect your ego. Imagine finding out there’s a Spider-Girl too.”

“I guess that’s what I’m confused about. You’ve been doing this for a while. No person off the street could fling themselves forward like that. Plus, you’re like me.”

“Bingo, Pete.” I clap for him, knowing I’m coming off a bit more sarcastic than intended. I guess it’s a coping mechanism.

“And you know who I am. I’ve been trying to think really hard about this, but there is no one I could pin down. May says she knows nothing. My friends at school definitely don’t know I’m Spider-Man.”

“Where you going?”

“Columbia. I assume you’re at NYU?”

“You assume correctly.” 

He shakes his head before pulling the mask off. His mused hat hair makes my heart leap. Dammit, I hate how cute he is. “You’re gonna have to throw me a bone here. I don’t know anyone at NYU.”

“We were neighbors.” He stares blankly at me. “I lived below you.”

That doesn’t seem to ring a bell either, so I finally give in and take my own mask off. Pete continues to stare as I shake my hair out of the way and tuck loose strands behind my ear. “Anything?”

“Gwen,” he finally whispers, his eyes wide. “Holy shit. I can’t believe... how did this happen?”

“It’s a long story man, one I really don’t want to get into right now.” I turn to walk past him, resulting in him grabbing my arm.

“How long?” He asks.

I’m honest. “Four.”

“How’d you know I was Spider-Man?”

“Saw you change into your suit our sophomore year homecoming.”

“And you didn’t say anything?”

I shrug. “It wasn’t my secret to tell.”

“Gwen.” His voice sounds raw like he might start crying. Honestly,  _ I _ might start crying.

“I gotta go, Pete. If you want to talk about this, I’m in 5C.” I give him a smile. “See you later, Spider-Boy.”

I know leaving him to gape is rude. I know that.

But all of this is hard for me too.

/\0/\

My class schedule ranges between eight and noon, providing me with free time to work on homework, or now, this whole spider thing. It’s really all I can think off during my classes, which makes me think back to how eager Peter was to get out of school. It all made sense now.

Speaking of Peter, he’s waiting in my apartment when I get back from class. My roommate gives me a heads up before I step into my bedroom.

He smiles, causing me to blush. “Hey.” 

“I didn’t expect you to be here so quickly.”

“I could lie, but I actually got here a lot earlier and was told you’d be in class until noon. Your roommate didn’t let me in until about five minutes ago.”

“Wow.”

This time, he blushes. “Sorry. I’ve just... this has been all I could think about since last night. Or early this morning. Whatever you wanna call it. I need to talk about this.”

“Alright.” I take off my jacket and sit on my bed before offering him my desk chair. He sits as I move into Indian style. “What’s first?”

“How do you have connections with The Avengers?”

This was it. The time to explain all the horrible stuff I had locked away was finally here. I take a deep breath to prepare.

“Four years ago, half the world disappeared. Poof, gone. And no one knew why. You were one of them.”

His face twists in confusion. “I don’t remember that.”

“No, because we fixed the problem. Very few people actually know what happened and we wanted to keep it that way. While you were gone, I took your place.”

“But your powers--”

“Fate. I guess I got bit by a spider or something. I dunno. I just woke up one day and realized I could do exactly what you could. So I took over.”

“And no one remembers?”

“Nope. That’s why I stayed back for a while. I didn’t want to take your spotlight. Even in your place, I was still Spider-Man. The city needed the image, not me.”

He runs a hand through his hair. “I just... I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I can’t believe you’ve known for five years and you never reached out to tell me--”

“You were dead, Pete. I know you don’t remember, but I do. For over a year, we all mourned the deaths of our loved ones. I always wanted to talk to you more. I always wanted to. I was... scared.”

He looks at the ground. “You were scared of me?”

“Not of you. I’ve just...” I sigh, “I’ve had this stupid crush on you since freshman year and I didn’t do anything about it. After everything that’s happened, I felt more and more defeated.”

“So you were going to join The Avengers, knowing I was a part of it, and not say anything?”

“I figured you didn’t need to know who I am to work with me. Why should you get to have all the fun?”

That gets the corners of his mouth to tilt up. “I suppose it’s only fair. You obviously know what you’re doing.”

“You’re right. I do.”

“Just so you know, I always had a crush on you too. It was just the whole Spider-Man thing didn’t give me enough time to do the dating thing.”

“Well, hey. If you’re ever down for some web-slinging, I’m around.”

His smile blossoms. “You got time tonight?”

“I can pencil you into my schedule.”

“Say, seven?”

“It’s a date.”

“It’s a date,” he repeats, still smiling. Peter awkwardly stands up, bumping his shin against the leg of the chair as he pushes it back in. His cheeks turn pink as he shuffles to the doorframe. “See you then,” he croaks out, leaving me to swoon over every bit of Peter Parker.

/\0/\

My roommate asks me about Pete the second he leaves. 

“Never seen him before,” she says as she fixes herself up some lunch. I watch her spread mustard and mayonnaise onto two pieces of bread. “Does he go here? He seemed way into you.”

“Uh, no. He’s a... high school friend. I ran into him yesterday and told him if he wanted to talk, this is where I was.”

“So... what happened?” She looks at me smugly, waiting for a reply. My roommate was not my best friend like many films and books led you to believe. In fact, she’s so unimportant, I’m not even bothering to tell you her name.

I simply shrug. “It’s a date.”

“Good for you, Stacy. About time you got out of this apartment.” I ignore her ramblings and retreat back into my bedroom to pick out an outfit. Even though we aren’t doing anything that requires fancy clothes, it was still fun to imagine. I hadn’t been on a date since the year we graduated, in which I dated Harry Osborn for a few months. It got kind of annoying though when he constantly wanted to show off how rich his family was.

Cool, dude. Oh, and by the way, your dad is crazy.

Seven rolls around before I feel ready. I can feel the twisting of my stomach again even though I know everything is going to be fine. This was just a normal guy, one I had known for a really long time. I was just nervous because I never thought this day would come.

I shove my suit into a handbag and sit on the sofa, smoothing my dress down as I wait for Pete to arrive. He never had been one to be punctual, but I’m surprised that he manages to arrive within ten minutes after seven. I answer the door the second he reaches up to knock and I’m blaming that on spidey sense instead of eagerness.

“Oh, hey,” he says, blinking a couple of times before smiling widely. Even his teeth look perfect. God, I’m really screwed, aren’t I?

“Didn’t mean to do that,” the words spill from my mouth like clothes tumbling around in a dryer, although far more awkward. I can feel how pink my cheeks are. “I promise I wasn’t like, stalking the door or anything.”

“Nah, we do that sometimes.” I know he’s referring to the “spider-ness” of our beings, but that damn wink of his honestly makes my heart skip a beat. He adjusts the bag over his shoulder. “Should we go?”

“Yeah, good idea.” I step out and close the door behind me, leading the way to the roof. It’s supposed to be locked to the students inside, but I tended to view the rules as a suggestion more than a demand. Besides, it wasn’t hard to get in when you had the powers Peter and I did.

He had his suit underneath his clothes (perks of wearing khakis and a button up instead of a dress) so it didn’t take much time for Peter to shove his clothes in his bag and slide the mask over his head. Me, however, made him turn around so I could slide out of my dress and change without him looking at me.

“I wouldn’t look anyways,” he says when I make the demand. I snort.

“Better safe than sorry.”

“I’m a gentleman, Gwen. You have nothing to worry about.” That gets me to chuckle again as I compress the suit down to fit me and tie my hair up in a ponytail before grabbing the mask. 

“Peter Parker, a gentleman. Somehow, those two don’t click.” I’m joking, of course. Peter was one of the nicest people alive.

He grabs my shoulder after I’ve finished shoving all my clothes into my purse. I can’t see his facial expressions through the mask, but the way he’s grabbing me, delicately and worried like he could crush me, makes me think he’s wanting to talk.

“I know you want to jump into this. I know you’re talented and have the skills. I just want you to know that I’m right here, okay? For anything you need.”

I nod. Already I could feel my mask getting hot from my breath, but that was just something you had to get used to. Even after two days back in action, I wouldn’t say that I was used to it, but we were getting somewhere. “Pete, I don’t want you to pity me.”

“I don’t. I’m just having a hard time understanding all you did for me and May, and the fact that I can’t remember it.”

“I did it because I wanted to. You don’t need to remember.” I grab my bag and his so I can scale down the side of the building to slip them into my bedroom. I had left the window open for tonight so I could do this, and I shut it just enough to keep the bugs out before pulling myself back over the lip of the roof. Peter is still standing there.

“I’m thankful,” he says.

“I know that,” I say back. “That’s what makes you different. You don’t have to say it for me to know.”

This time, Pete stays quiet. I use the opportunity to swan dive off the building, falling a good three stories before swinging myself around to the next street so I can continue to propel forward with my webbing. I can hear Peter right behind me, the sound of his web smacking against the steel skyscrapers and the hush of his breath every time he sucked in air. We go for a few minutes, pushing forward into Manhattan where I can hear the faint shrill of police sirens. Generally, that meant trouble, but for us, it meant there was ass to kick.

I summersault down onto a building, rolling so I can bring my momentum to a stop. Peter lands next to me as I tug my mask off to let the cool, fall air run over my face.

“You aren’t messing around,” he laughs, running a hand through his hair. I smile.

“I told you I knew what I was doing.”

“You did.” He smiles back. “Any idea of what to call yourself?”

“Ghost.” I was black and white, almost an anti-version of Peter’s, so I felt it was fitting enough. “Besides, I don’t want to put girl or woman or whatever in the title. It shouldn’t matter.”

“You’re right. If I’ve learned anything from my time in The Avengers, it’s that women can, and often better than us, kick ass.”

“Thank you for acknowledging that.” I pause to turn my attention to where I had heard the police sirens. “I think there’s something going on in that general direction. Think you should take care of that.”

“You aren’t going to come with me?”

“Wouldn’t want to step on your toes.”

He scoffs. “Please. Contrary to belief, this town is big enough for the two of us.” He gestures toward the edge of the roof. “After you.”

I thank him before diving.

/\0/\

This is definitely the most exciting date I had been on. Fighting crime and swinging between buildings was quite an adrenaline rush and we worked ourselves up an appetite. Peter stopped by this hole in the wall sub place and got one on the house for us to share. The workers were more than willing to help feed Spider-Man.

We sit on the roof of what had been the old Avengers tower to eat, messily spilling lettuce into our laps. Peter was right; this was the best sandwich I ever had.

“Good, huh?” He eyes me over the last bit of his sandwich, pausing to watch me fumble with bread crumbs as I shove the rest into my mouth. I could sit here and pretend I was ladylike, but I had enough failed experience with that to give up entirely. 

“Mmhmm,” I reply through my mouthful. Peter laughs.

“Cute.”

I pretend that didn’t make my heart swoon. I swallow and clear my throat. “You got any other secret food places you’d care to share?”

“Oh yeah. But that’ll have to be a different night.”

“That’s okay with me. I wouldn’t mind more of these.” I dust lettuce and crumbs off my lap before looking up to find Peter smiling at me. I raise an eyebrow. “What?”

“You’re just so different now. Not that it’s a bad thing. I just... I always pictured you as this quiet, shy girl who got straight A’s and hid behind her hair. Even when we talked, you were so polite, so willing to help anyone that needed it. I wish I had been there in between all of... this. I wish I hadn’t disappeared from your life completely. I wish I could have been there to help, to teach you, to make sure you didn’t have full responsibility bearing down on your shoulders.”

“Pete, this isn’t your fault, okay? The spider bite, the end of the world, not talking to me. It wasn’t like we had been close in high school.”

“But we could have been if only I said something.”

I scoff. “Story of my life, man. The thing is, we can’t go back. We can only move forward. Thinking about all of that is just gonna drag us down. Yeah, I might be a little rough around the edges now, but that doesn’t mean I’m not the same Gwen. I’m still into science, majoring in chemistry, and I still hate talking to people. Well,” I correct, looking at him, “most people.”

His smile returns. “I’m the same old Peter. Late to everything, kind of a smartass, hacking shit because I can. Maybe... maybe we didn’t change as much as we thought we did.”

“Maybe.” I smile back. “And you aren’t ‘kind of a smartass.’ You are a smartass.”

“Fair enough.” Peter tilts his head up to look at the sky. It’s nearing eleven and the stars sparkle above us, despite the smog and pollution. “It feels so damn good to know I’m not alone. In high school, I felt so... separated from everyone else. But now... I have someone to talk about all of this with. It feels good.”

“I know the feeling.” I push my legs straight so I can stretch after having them under my butt the whole time. Pete scoots closer to me, settling down on his knees. We look at each other.

Something I’ve noticed about kissing people is that there’s always this weird, unsettling feeling that resonates before the kiss actually takes place. And right now, looking at Peter inching toward me, I know exactly what’s going to happen. I could lie and say I was prepared, but I definitely wasn’t. Nothing could have prepared me for that.

He’s respectful and soft, only progressing when he knew I felt comfortable. His hand cupped my cheek, his thumb circling over sensitive skin. When he starts to pull away, I keep him close, tucking my hands around his waist to hold him close to me. I deepen the kiss, letting my lips part as an invitation for him to do what he wanted. It was, hands down, the best kiss I ever had.

And my first thought would not be that Peter, of all people, knew how to kiss, but he did a wonderful job.

We lean our foreheads against one another after we’ve pulled away. Peter breathes heavily, his fingers intertwining with mine.

“Thank you,” I whisper. There’s a lot of things I could be thanking him for, so I hope he catches at least a few of them. He nods.

/\0/\

We swing home in silence, letting the city be our white noise. Despite how late it is, the streets are still busy with cars and the buildings light up brightly. When we make it safe back on the roof of my apartment building, I gesture to the side.

“You wanna stay the night?”

“Is that okay?”

I nod. “I got room.”

Pete follows me down the side of the building, waiting patiently for me to open my window so we could climb inside. He strips down to his boxers as I throw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I cuddle up next to him, resting my head on his chest. He begins to play with my hair.

“I never told you how much I liked your pink highlights.”

I blush. “Thanks.” A pause. “I like the swoop of your hair.”

Peter laughs. “Pomade.”

“I figured.” I shift gently underneath the duvet, letting Peter pull it further over our twisted bodies. The heel of his foot brushes my shin.

“Goodnight, Gwen Stacy,” he whispers.

“Goodnight, Peter Parker,” I whisper back.


End file.
